Bête Noire
by RydenStewart
Summary: It's been months since they completed the Inception Job. Cobb has gone home, and Arthur and Ariadne have begun a tentative relationship. But Arthur has secrets - a history of mistakes that are catching up to him, and quickly. Ariadne begins to wonder if their relationship will survive, but soon it's not their romance she's worried about... it's their lives. [on hiatus]
1. Tentative Beginnings

**Disclaimer: **I don't own. Blast and botheration.

**Genre:** Romance/Mystery (sort of)

**Pairings:** Arthur/Ariadne, Arthur/OC

**Rated:** T

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><p>"<em><strong>Beginnings are sometimes found somewhere in the middle."<strong>_

Arthur stirred, and sat up, glancing at the body that shared his bed. She sucked in a shuddering breath that raised her body of the mattress for a moment, before she sank back into a deep sleep.

He was in a hotel suite in LA, three days after the Fischer Escapade. He'd decided to take a break for a while before taking another job. Partly because it would be hard to put together a working team without Cobb, and partly because he was mentally exhausted after all the tension and excitement of the Inception job.

Dom had called him the day before, telling him how wonderful it was to see his children and be home again. Arthur was happy for his friend, he really was, but after Cobb started repeating stories, Arthur kind of tuned him out.

His mind had drifted away to the ghosts of his own past; mistakes that he had made. The difference was, Arthur was a coward who had created a mess, and Cobb was a father who had come home to make amends.

Cobb had given up his guilt, but Arthur's still gnawed at his conscience.

He sighed, and glanced at the girl in his bed. She was lovely… creative, caring, intelligent, stubborn, and beautiful too. She was the first girl to catch his attention in years – and he'd met many incredible women, from all over the globe, in his life.

She'd come to see him after the job, to inquire shyly about the kiss they'd shared in the dream. Truthfully, Arthur wasn't sure why he had kissed her, but he found that he was grateful that he had. It appeared that she didn't mind either, as evidenced by their current state of undress, and her position in his bed.

He smiled and traced the outline of her face with the tips of his fingers. Ariadne sighed, a small smile blooming on her face at his soft touch.

She deserved more than him. She needed someone more creative, more open – he was too professional, too methodical, too cold… he had too many secrets.

Ariadne was the type of girl who needed color and spontaneity in her life, but for now, he was content to just stay by her side.

The dark-haired girl shifted, stretched and yawned; brown eyes blinking open to see Arthur leaning over her, smiling gently.

True, she hadn't taken much notice of the quiet Point Man before the job, but in the dream he had been such a calm and protective presence, and the kiss had surprised her so much… after the job, she had just sought him out. She hadn't been sure what might happen if she went to him, but she was glad that she had taken the risk.

"Morning," he whispered.

"Morning," Ariadne smiled shyly back at him.

Yes, they decided. They were lucky that the kiss in a dream had turned into more.

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><p>"<em><strong>Relationships are like a good crime novel – full of mystery and adventure."<strong>_

"Do you dream Ariadne?"

It had been two months since Maurice Fischer had died, two months since Cobb had returned home, and two months since Arthur and Ariadne had begun their tentative relationship. They were in San Francisco now – Arthur had had some business in the seaside city, and Ariadne had decided to tag along.

The girl in question was sprawled on a couch nearby as Arthur made them both hot chocolates. She opened one eye to stare at him questioningly, before shrugging.

"I do," she answered, finally. "But I prefer the other type of dreaming. I have more control; more power; more freedom."

_Control. Power. Freedom._ Arthur remembered that he used to feel the same way, and he still did sometimes but…

"Do _you_ still dream Arthur?" A finger, trailing a ticklish line over his nose lured Arthur back into the real world, where Ariadne was wearing an innocent, curious expression. She was standing beside him, leaning against the kitchen counter, and their hot chocolates were left forgotten on the bench.

He was silent for a moment, mulling over his thoughts, while his arms wrapped lazily around her waist.

"I do… sometimes," he admitted, finally. "But I agree – I prefer the other type of dreaming. I have more control."

"What do you dream about?"

He thought about it for a moment. "I don't remember much," he lied. "Places from the past, faces that I don't recognize."

"Hmmm," Ariadne grinned and kissed him. "Well, I suppose that's the most dreaming you'll get after a career like yours. You're lucky you still _can_ dream, according to Cobb."

"I don't go in often enough," Arthur explained. "Once or twice a month at the most. Cobb went under almost five nights a week, just to be with Mal."

"Ohhh," Ariadne nodded, comprehension washing over her face. She had hardly ever had dreams before she learned about extraction/inception, and now, because she practiced Architecture once a fortnight, she would probably dream even less often.

But Arthur rarely went under unless for a mission. In fact, she hadn't seen him go into a dream outside of a job since he last had a lesson in dreamscapes with her. That was two months ago for the Fischer case.

He smiled at her. Clearly she was wrapped up in her thoughts.

"Go to sleep," he whispered, kissing her forehead. "I have some work to do, but I'll join you in a minute."

"What are you working on?" Ariadne asked, blinking up at him.

"I'm looking for a new Extractor, since Cobb's gone, and I can't do it alone," Arthur explained. "I'm an amateur, I'm the Point Man; I prefer to stay on the sidelines. I have to do some background work on a new kid, and then maybe get Kyle Exton as a forger. My friend Jenna Cohen will play chemist."

"Jenna?" Ariadne's eyebrows jumped to her hairline. "Who's she?"

Arthur smirked at her not-so-subtle wariness. "A fifty-two year old married woman with a kid who is about to graduate high school."

"Oh," Ariadne flushed red in embarrassment. Arthur laughed and kissed her temple, before pushing her towards the bedroom, hot chocolate in hand.

"Your holiday is almost over, and we're going back to Paris tomorrow," he whispered. "You should sleep."

Ariadne smiled tiredly, took the drink, and went to bed. Arthur sighed and covered his mouth with his hand. He hadn't been in a relationship in so long; he was afraid that he was going to screw it up… again.

Sleeping with random women and being in a relationship were two different things. One of them was harder than the other after all.

He grabbed his laptop, to read over information that he'd gathered on offered jobs – the Marks, the employers, and possible team members.

Offers had increased since the successful job with Eames in Kuala Lumpur last month, and the small piece of solo work that he'd done in Singapore; and his reputation as a Point Man had always been exceptional. Dom, in the times before Mal's death, and since the Fischer case, had often informed Arthur that he was a perfectionist. Or really, his exact words were "Arthur, you put the 'anal' in 'analytical''. Arthur had often replied to the taunt with a sharp elbow to Cobb's gut, but it was an old, friendly joke.

Meanwhile, whispers and rumors of a successful Inception were being spread, but Arthur was reluctant to step forward. The job was difficult, and dangerous, and only the best of the best could possibly engage, and only on a vulnerable Mark. Though he enjoyed the thrill of the job, he had his limits.

Sighing, Arthur closed the file on job offers. He was too tired to consider any of them properly. On autopilot, he dragged the mouse over a different icon, and opened it. He reread information that he had memorized by now, looked at pictures he'd seen a million times before, and moved down to the bottom of the page, the only part that kept changing.

_Location: London, England. _

He let go of a breath he hadn't known he'd been holding; a sigh of relief that escaped his lips. At least Paris was safe for him… for now.


	2. Pandora's Box

**A/N: Thank you to_ Singer in the Silence _and_ Legal-Assassin-006 _for reviewing this story and encouraging me to continue - here is a second chapter, dedicated to you :) **

**P.S. Take note - if you review, I'll dedicate a chapter to you. Pretty nifty huh?**

**... Oh yeah. I don't own :(**

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><p><strong><em>"Dreams are memories that we won't let ourselves forget." <em>**

_"What are you doing?" _

_Arthur turned around, looking guilty. Her questioning gaze slowly turned into disgusted understanding. _

_"You're running away." _

_"I'm not –"_

_"You're running away," she repeated, taking a step away from him, as if he had some sort of horrifying and contagious disease. "Why?"_

_Arthur sighed. "It's complicated." _

_"Then simplify," she growled, her glare burning holes in his eyes… and in his heart. He memorized the image of her there – dark hair unruly from having just gotten out of bed, feet bare, brown eyes shiny with tears that refused to spill._

_"I'm sorry…" _

"Arthur, Arthur wake up," Ariadne stood over her boyfriend, shaking him awake. "We're here. I'm home."

"Hmm?" Arthur blinked, and looked around. He was in his seat in first class, and the plane had just arrived in Paris. Ariadne smiled when he looked at her and Arthur smiled back. "Did I fall asleep?"

"Yeah, you did." The corner of her mouth twitched with concealed laughter, and Arthur mentally added that twitch to the list of things he liked about her.

"Alright, let's go." He stood up, and pulled their bags from the overhead compartment. They shuffled off the plane together, and then started looking for their luggage. Out of the corner of his eye, Arthur saw the tail end of a red scarf flash by. On nervous instinct, he whirled around, but the woman wearing the scarf was blonde and middle-aged. Of course, he couldn't assume that every red scarf would drag him back to the past, but maybe it's because that was what she was wearing on the day that she…

"Arthur?" He snapped out of his trance and glanced down at his girlfriend, who was looking up at him with concern. "Are you ok?"

It took him a moment to process her words before… "Yeah, yeah I'm fine. Let's go." He took her hand, and together they went to find Miles.

Behind them, a girl watched Arthur take Ariadne's hand and walk away. A scrap of red poked out of her bag…

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><p>Arthur sighed. Getting a new team together would be harder than he thought. Not because he hadn't had a lot of viable candidates offer their services, but because he'd always worked with Cobb, except for a few 'holiday jobs', as Dom liked to call them. Dom was the only man Arthur would ever share a dream with on a job, and that loyalty went a long way back. But now that his friend had retired from the business, Arthur supposed he'd have to make new friends.<p>

Ariadne wrapped her arms around his neck as he skimmed through the reports he'd compiled on different jobs and teams. It wasn't all that interesting to watch, but just holding her boyfriend was something special.

"You ok?" She murmured in his ear. Arthur smiled.

"I'm fine," he minimized the document and leaned back in his seat, rubbing his eyes. "How was school today?"

"Alright," Ariadne shrugged. "Boring compared to the Dreams though."

Arthur laughed. "Real life can be like that, but sometimes not-knowing is part of the adventure, wouldn't you agree?"

Ariadne nodded, and buried her face in his shoulder, examining his computer screen. She liked that his desktop picture was one of him and her together in Cobb's backyard with Phillipa and James in the background running around and Miles and Cobb laughing nearby. In the picture, Ariadne was leaning up against him with her arms wrapped around his waist, and they were both grinning happily.

Her eyes traveled to an icon on the right-hand side of the screen. It stood out to her for some reason. It was labeled _Gabrielle_. Her curiosity was piqued.

"Who's Gabrielle?"

"Hmm?" Arthur glanced at the screen and then suppressed a groan.

Of course she would ask about that. Ariadne's insatiable curiosity would one day get her in a lot of trouble, he decided. She was lucky that Cobb was such a forgiving man (or maybe she had reminded him of Mal, and that's why he couldn't be angry at her for invading his mind – at least, that was Arthur's theory when he heard the details from Dom himself later).

"It's just something that I like to keep an eye on," he murmured, ignoring the icon and pulling up another document about a business tycoon named Adrian Voss. Voss appeared to be an arrogant and hostile man who liked everything to go his way – legally or not. He was currently located in Switzerland, but would be in Versailles for a conference in just a few weeks time.

_That's a possibility._ Arthur thought to himself, not admitting that he was just avoiding the memories that Ariadne had unwittingly brought bubbling to the surface.

"May I see?" Ariadne reached over his shoulder but Arthur caught her wrist in his hand. She looked down at him in surprise. He'd never denied her anything in the two months that they had dated, what was he trying to hide?

"I'd rather you didn't," he told her, shutting the laptop and standing up. "It's a private matter regarding a job, and I'm not allowed to divulge the information."

Ariadne pouted, but quickly forgot what she was upset about when Arthur leaned in and kissed her.

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><p><strong><em>"Curiosity didn't kill the cat, it was merely the catalyst in a series of events." <em>**

It was early in the morning, and Arthur was still asleep in the bed that they shared.

Quietly, Ariadne opened the laptop and smiled to herself. In his passion, Arthur had forgotten to log out. Quickly, she clicked on the file.

A window with the heading _Gabrielle_ popped up, and Ariadne found she was looking at a picture of two girls who looked like they might be sisters. One was about twenty, and her hair was a medium honey-brown, her eyes sparkled with laughter and her arms were wrapped around the younger girl, who appeared to be a teenager with slightly darker hair and a matching happy smile.

_# Profile  
># Photos<br># Updates_

Warily, Ariadne opened the profile link. It didn't hold much information.

_Name: Gabrielle de Lamont  
>Age: 19<br>Information: University student studying Computer Science. Her sister Nanette is a dentist and her brother Jamison is still in High School. The Mark maintains a cold and closed off relationship with her family, including her parents, but cares for her cousin like a sister.  
>Job details: *deleted*<em>

It didn't seem like much. It didn't seem like anything, but that only fed Ariadne's curiosity more. What could Arthur possibly have to hide?

The link labeled 'Photos' simply showed Ariadne image after image of the elder girl, some with an older, yet almost identical woman, some with a boy, some with two people who were obviously her parents, and some with the younger girl that Ariadne guessed to be Gabrielle's cousin. What surprised her the most was at the bottom, there were photos of the girl and… Arthur. They looked like a happy couple, smiling and laughing and doing things together. Arthur looked so young, and handsome, and Ariadne greedily absorbed her lover's past.

_# Updates_

Ariadne was almost afraid to open this link. It seemed intimidating in it's simplicity. What would she find? It was clearly the part that Arthur was 'keeping an eye on'. If she looked into it, what would be revealed?

- _Psychology  
>- <em>Architecture<br>- _Chemistry  
>- <em>Computer Science<em>___

_Current Location: London, England_

Ariadne stared at the screen. It didn't even make sense. A couple of disjointed words and a location. What did it mean?

An email popped up with a loud 'blip' sound, and Ariadne jumped in surprise. On autopilot, she opened the message, and screwed up her forehead in confusion.

_Arthur,  
>Heads up. She's in Paris.<br>Eames._

_Who's in Paris?_ Ariadne wondered. Gabrielle, perhaps?

Ariadne heard Arthur groan and shift in the bed, and glanced at the clock. It was almost morning, almost time for him to wake up. She quickly closed the _Gabrielle _file and deleted the email, before scurrying into bed with her boyfriend.

She'd ask him to explain in the morning…


	3. Secrets Need Keeping

**A/N: Thank you _Legal-Assassin-006_**** for reviewing (once again :D) and to _Elegant Sadist_**** for your comments. This is a THIRD chapter written special for you. Be pleased please.**

**If anyone has any constructive criticism concerning structure/spelling/grammar/characters/etc. please feel free to write a review and let me know what problems (or compliments - depending on how you feel) you have.**

**Newcomers: if you review, you get a chapter dedicated to you.**

**... I still don't own :'(**

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><p><strong> "Fate is a funny thing – it enjoys being inconvenient." <strong>

"Hey," Sophie smiled at Ariadne. She was excited to hear what her friend had been up to during the summer holidays.

"Hi Sophie," Ariadne grinned. "How was your summer?"

"Alright," the petite blonde shrugged. "I made a new friend in London, her name's Nicki, she's our age, and she's studying architecture like you."

"Really?"

"Really. Anyway, we're going to lunch on Saturday if you want to come."

"That'd be great," Ariadne beamed. "Actually, I kind of made a friend too."

"Kind of?" Sophie raised her eyebrows as if to say 'keep going'.

"Well," Ariadne bit her lip and blushed. "I met a guy…"

"About time!" Sophie interrupted, startling her friend. "Who is he? Is he hot? Smart? Rich?"

"Sophie!" Ariadne laughed. "Slow down. His name is Arthur, yes he's hot, yes he's smart, and I'm pretty sure that rich doesn't have anything to do with it."

Sophie just looked at her friend.

"Ok, yes, I'm pretty sure he's rich."

Sophie squealed and jumped up and down. "This is great, you finally got a boyfriend! Yay!"

Ariadne rolled her eyes.

"You're impossible."

Sophie grinned. "Why thank you."

Ariadne glanced at her watch. "We should probably get going, we have class now." Sophie nodded, while the dark-haired girl led the way into the building.

Ariadne stopped when she saw the girl in the blue dress. She was standing about ten feet away, talking to Professor Quincy, and looking very serious. The dark curls and brown eyes were painfully familiar to her as they were still fresh in her memory.

"Gabrielle?"

The girl glanced at Ariadne and their eyes met. She arched one eyebrow in an unreadable expression, before politely ending her conversation with Quincy and leaving. Ariadne stared after her as Sophie caught up.

"Sorry Ari, Neil wanted to talk to me about Saturday…" but Ariadne didn't hear a word of Sophie's description of what exactly her boyfriend had wanted. "Hey! Ari, are you even listening to me?" Sophie waved a hand in front of her friend's face.

"Hmmm?" Ariadne turned to the other girl. "Yeah, ok, let's go."

The rest of the day was uneventful and uninteresting, but Ariadne's mind found it very difficult to stray from the sight of the girl she had seen in pictures just days ago, suddenly appearing in the flesh, in Paris.

_Arthur,  
>Heads up. She's in Paris.<br>_Eames_._

The email – was it a warning? An invitation? What was Arthur's connection with this girl, and why did it make her so uneasy?

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><p>"So, who's Gabrielle?" Ariadne asked as soon as they had sat down to lunch. It had been three days since the materialization of Arthur's mystery girl at Ariadne's school, and she would not drop the matter of the mysterious file – which Arthur had locked with a hack-proof password the night after Ariadne had peeked.<p>

"Nobody," Arthur snapped. "She's not important. The file is just keeping tabs on those involved in a delicate job."

"Not important? Then why are there pictures of two together?" Ariadne stopped as she realized that she'd too much. Arthur sat, with his fork frozen halfway to his mouth, and he stared at the table for a moment.

"Ariadne," his voice seemed calm, but there was a hard edge to his tone. "Do you have no concept of privacy? Have you ever heard the term 'let sleeping dogs lie'?"

Ariadne bit her lip, before steeling herself. "Were you dating?" She blurted. "Why did you break up? And why did you lie about it being a job?"

Arthur was silent for a long time. Then he wrapped up his sandwich, picked up his coffee and marched to the counter to pay for the meal.

Hurriedly Ariadne snatched up her own lunch and chased him out the door.

"Arthur!" She hadn't meant her tone to sound as self-righteous and angry as it did.

He stopped and turned, waiting for her to catch up. "You had no right," he hissed. "A job is one thing – it's business. It's a stranger. This is personal."

With that, he strode away, leaving a confused and hurt Ariadne in his wake.

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><p><strong><em>"There are some things you simply do not touch." <em>**

Arthur frowned. She was still in London. Usually, she would move to a different city, country, or even continent every few months. She'd been in London now since before Dom went home, and he was getting worried. She wasn't the type to stay in one place for long – what if his information network had been tricked?

"Arthur?" Ariadne peered out from the door of their bedroom. He had taken to sleeping on the couch since their disagreement, and she was obviously uncomfortable with him avoiding her. "I'm sorry, I really am."

He continued to ignore her, closing the file and opening another regarding applicants for the job of Extractor.

"Arthur, please talk to me," Ariadne walked towards him hesitantly, before placing a hand on his arm. "Please forgive me."

Arthur clenched his teeth for a moment, before sighing and relaxing. "I suppose I can't stay mad forever," he smirked at her. "It just hurt me that you wouldn't just let me tell you my stories when I'm ready."

Ariadne knelt beside him to look into his eyes. "Arthur," she began, slowly, so as not to spook him. "Who is Gabrielle? What does she mean to you?"

Arthur was silent for a long moment, sitting so still that Ariadne felt like he might turn into a pensive-looking stone statue.

"We were in love," he whispered, after what seemed like eternity. "But she discovered who I am, and what I do for a living. It crushed her that she was in love with an immoral criminal and she tried to commit suicide." He stopped speaking, lost in memories of the distant past. Reliving things that he should never have seen.

"Did she survive?" Ariadne asked when the quiet became too stifling. "Did Gabrielle survive?"

Arthur looked up at her, three tears slowly sliding down his face. "No."

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><p><strong>AN: Dun dun DUUUNNN! The mysterious girl has appeared and is haunting Ariadne! What will happen next? And will Arthur continue to forgive Ariadne and her mistakes? **

**btw - I don't like Ariadne, can you tell? She's so nosy. So beware, Art/Ari shippers... I might break them up! (SHOCK HORROR :P)**

**P.S. Sorry this chapter's so short. I got kind of stuck - maybe reviews will help?**


	4. Ghost in the Flesh

**A/N: for _Legal-Asassing-006_, _musicchica10 _and _Marianne_ you all get a pet dragunicorn (unicorn with fangs and dragon wings :P) and a llama and a plate of cookies. These gifts will all arrive by _Daydream Express_ and as manager of _all things random and ridiculous_ I appreciate your pre-payment of _at least one review_. Thank you. **

**Flames and Love are both accepted, though I do prefer Love. **

**P.S. I don't own, but I wish I were as awesome as Chris Nolan.**

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><p><strong><em>"Those who dream and are dreamed of - do they know truly when they wake?"<em>**

She had been surprised to hear that name. She hadn't expected it, especially not from some slightly built girl who looked freshfaced and innocent. Innocent people shouldn't know of Gabrielle.

Therefore, she wasn't surprised when she saw Arthur picking the girl up after school the next day. After all, a relationship with Arthur would be the only thing to explain it, although she was surprised that he had shared his past with the girl.

She wouldn't admit it, but it hurt her a little, that he had already moved on. Gabrielle couldn't let go of her hurt. Knowing Gabby's pain, she hated him, just a little for it. That life had kept moving for him. That he wasn't bound by the past.

She was.

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><p>"Ari, are we still on for Saturday night?" Sophie asked. Ariadne startled out of her trance. She'd been staring at a blank sheet of paper for twenty minutes, head filled with Arthur's words. Gabrielle had killed herself. Suicide. It was something she'd never considered, not properly. Not even when she learned of how Mal died, although perhaps that was because Mal seemed like part of a dream, rather than a reality. She felt guilty for some reason, as though she had stolen Arthur from her.<p>

Although how one could steal from a dead woman seemed strange to Ariadne.

"Hmmm? Of course."

"That's great," Sophie smiled. "I can't wait to introduce you two - she's into conceptual architechture too, like you; so I thought you'd get along." Sophie's enthusiasm was contagious, and Ariadne forgot about Gabrielle and smiled.

"She sounds like a nice person."

"She is," Sophie nodded. "But what I _really_ want to see is your boyfriend. Have you invited him?"

"No, not yet," Ariadne admitted. "I just haven't gotten around to it. I'll tell him tonight."

"Alright," Sophie collected her books and picked up her bag. "I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Alright, bye." Ariadne watched her friend leave the library, before sighing and packing up her own things. She hadn't managed to get a single piece of work done, her mind was so caught up in the drama of Arthur and Gabrielle. She hoped he would tell her the full story soon, so that she might put her mind to rest.

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><p><em>"Why? Why did you do it?" She was crying. Her breathing was laboured as she sucked in shuddering, gasping breaths. Her hands shook but the gun remained in her hands, molded around paralyzed fingers. <em>

_"Put the gun down, I'll tell you everything," Arthur watched himself take a step towards her, speaking softly and slowly. He didn't want to spook her - didn't want to scare her into doing something she'd regret. _

_He'd visited these memories many times, creating a dream cage like Dom had of Mal - but he had long since swept that cage away. Still he dreamed the memories so vividly, he sometimes wondered if he'd landed in Limbo and created a world without escape from his past. Yet the loaded die he often threw assured him this was not the case. _

_He watched, as he'd watched so many times before, as the bullet whizzed past his ear. Watched as the door opened..._

"GABBY, DON'T!" Arthur shot up in bed, breathing heavily. He glanced around, and relaxed visibly when he noticed Ariadne lying with her back to him at the edge of the bed. He sighed in relief and tiredness and shook his head. He'd always wanted Dom to let go of his obsession for Mal, thinking he'd done so with Gabrielle - but it seemed that she was resurfacing in his life, and even his subconcious thought it was time for him to deal with it.

He rolled over, throwing an arm around his girlfriend, drawing her near and taking comfort from her.

"Don't leave me," he whispered in to her hair, kissing the top of her head. He took a few deep breaths and drifted back to sleep.

Ariadne stared wide-eyed at the wall, afraid to even ask tomorrow what Arthur was going through. The nightmare had sounded terrifying, like some kind of horror movie - a trainwreck you couldn't stop but had to watch. _Don't leave me?_ What did that mean? Ariadne bit her lip, and feared for her boyfriend, unable to help him in any way, because suddenly her curiousity had failed her, and she didn't want to find out any more.

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><p><strong><em>"Chaos is never organized, but sometimes I suspect the universe conspires..." <em>**

"Ari! You made it!" Sophie grinned and ran up to her friend, hugging the small girl tightly.

"Wouldn't miss it for the world," Ariadne grinned, hugging back. When the two broke apart, she gently took Arthur's hand and brought him forward. "This is my boyfriend, please don't scream or faint in excitement. It would be embarrassing."

Sophie rolled her eyes and flashed Ariadne an innocent smile. "I would never. Sophie Benoit, it's a pleasure."

Arthur took her proffered hand and kissed it like a gentleman. "Arthur Morgan, the pleasure's all mine."

"The quiet one is my boyfriend, Neil," Sophie explained, as the dark haired man in the booth waved shyly before turning back to the menu. Sophie rolled her eyes.

"Nicki isn't here yet, but she called ahead and said she'd be late, so we can get settled and order." Sophie explained, sitting down beside her boyfriend. Ariadne slid into the booth beside the blonde and Arthur followed suit. "I hear the fettunccine carbonara here is amazing."

The group ordered their food and drinks, with Sophie guessing a dish for the abstent Nicki. The two girls chatted about school and gossip, while the boyfriends seemed to bond over a mutual love of _the Matrix_.

Therefore, it was not until halfway through the meal, when a flustered, dark-haired girl flopped into the seat beside Neil that things became messy.

"I'm sorry I'm late," she said to Sophie, shaking the rain out of her hair and shrugging out of her coat. "This rain is terrible, and you will not _believe_ the argument I had with Brock. It lasted _hours _I swear."

"Ariadne, Arthur, this is Nicki," Sophie grinned, but neither of the pair were listening. In fact, they had both become pale as ghosts, and the newcomer froze when she saw Arthur's face. There seemed to be some sort of sluggish stickiness in the air, muting sound and slowing movement until the whole world was swimming through liquid glass as thick as molasses.

"Devon?" Arthur frowned. And just like that, the world snapped back into motion - though somehow the noise around them was louder and harsher than they remembered it being before.

"You two know each other?" Sophie asked.

"Nichole Devon," the dark-haired girl offered a hand to Ariadne, smiling warmly. The Architect found herself shaking the hand of the very same girl who had been haunting her for the past week, and she was so cold with dread and shock she felt as though she was shaking hands with a ghost.

"Ariadne Benedict."

Nichole dropped Ariadne's hand and turned to Sophie, pushing the awkward atmosphere aside with a flick of her hair, or at least, ignoring it. "Sophie, did you order anything for me? I'm starved, and yelling at stubborn Brock Foster sure works up an appetite."

"Here," Sophie handed her friend a plate of pasta. "Cabonara."

"My favourite, thanks," Nichole grinned, and laid her napkin delicately in her lap.

"So how do you know Nicki?" Sophie turned to Arthur, curiousity burning in her eyes. Ariadne turned to him also, but it was Nichole who answered the question.

"He dated my cousin," she said. "I only met him once, but at the time I was going through a phase." At this, she offered a sincere and embarrassed grin to her audience. "And I, kind of, dropped a bucket of paint on his car and gave him clown make up."

"That paint was _pink_," Arthur scowled, and Nichole shrugged good-naturedly. Ariadne gaped at the two, not understanding how they could be so at ease with each other. After something like suicide happening to a person they both loved - how could they face each other at all?

"I just didn't think you were good enough for her," Nichole explained, even as she tucked in to her pasta.

"The clown make up didn't come off for _days_," Arthur went on.

"She didn't mind."

Ariadne watched the exchange with growing confusion and disbelief. She stood up sharply, and the table rattled as her knees collided with the edge, causing her to swear. The group glanced up at her in curiousity. "I need some air," she explained. "Too much wine."

Without waiting for a reply, she squeezed past Arthur and marched out onto the balcony of the quaint little restaurant. The night was cold, and the air crisp with the scent of fresh-fallen rain. Goosebumps raised on her arms and she rubbed them roughly, wishing she'd brought her coat but not wanting to return to the table where Gabrielle's cousin was acting as though Arthur was nothing more than just another ex-boyfriend of her cousin's. As if he hadn't broken her heart and sent her to suicide. Ariadne thought of the people she loved. If Neil caused Sophie to commit suicide, she'd never forgive him - so how could a girl closer to Gabrielle than her own sister not hate Arthur with every fiber of her being?

"Ariadne?" She turned around and saw Arthur silhouetted in the doorway, looking concerned. She could read the question in his eyes, and knew she should answer. But how could she tell him what she herself didn't understand? She couldn't put into words how she felt, or explain the queasy uneasiness swimming in her stomach.

"Just needed some air," she said, smiling apolegetically. She watched the way her breath misted in the air, forming tiny ice crystals and then vanishing into the night. "The atmosphere in there was a little stifling."

"I know what you mean," Arthur grinned, but he probably didn't. Ariadne was sure he had no idea what kind of turmoil she'd felt in those past few minutes. "Here, take my jacket at least, it's freezing out here."

"Thanks," she smiled at him, taking the fold of cotton from his oustretched hand and slipping her arms through the sleeves. They were still a little warm, and on the collar she could smell his cologne - the one she'd bought for him in San Francisco when he'd gone to Singapore for a weekend job. She liked that he wore it for her, though he disliked colognes as a general rule - said they were a 'ridiculous and feminine waste of time and money' and 'completely unnecessary and impractical'.

She noted he still wore his expensive, useless silk vests; tonight it was a cool grey with ivory pinstripes (Arthur had told her so himself when she had compared it to his _nearly_ identical battleship grey with beige pinstripes) and she remembered buying it with him in L.A. after Eames had spilt red wine all over his original plain grey.

She blushed when she realised that Arthur was smirking at her - that he'd caught her staring. She couldn't help it really, he was fascinating - like the Mona Lisa, and she wanted to know the secrets behind his smiles, his eyes, his tears... but not his nightmares. _There are some things you simply don't touch, _her mother's sensible words echoed in her head, and Ariadne buried her face in Arthur's chest.

"Do you want to go home?" he asked.

"No," she sighed, lifting her head once more. "I'd have to think of an excuse, and Sophie would be upset."

"Alright then," he took a step back and smiled at her. "Let's go back then."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yay me! I _finally_ managed to motivate myself to write another chapter ** and this is what I came up with. Some how I feel as though the writing isn't up to the same level as the other few chapters, but maybe I'm just having an off day (or maybe I'm out of practice)**

**Either way, please feel free to tell me what you think - either about my writing or what should happen next. **


	5. Sleepless Nights

**A/N: I apologise for being so late in writing the next chapter. My creativeness _died_. Seriously. I just couldn't write. At. All. **

**Depression :(**

**anyway - here is a belated birthday present for those who had birthdays, enjoy!**

* * *

><p><strong><em>"Mushroom clouds and carousels and pennies in a jar; these things make the world go 'round..." <em>**

She was staring at nothing in particular, just sitting in front of her mirror. She felt like she was in a daze or a trance... or in a dream. As if she were floating a few millimetres off the ground and her mind was just a little bit detached from reality. Just a little bit distant.

Did Gabby ever feel like this? Lost?

"Devon? Are you okay?" An Asian man - boy, really - stood in the doorway, looking small and unsure. She offered his reflection a sad smile, but Usami had been her best friend for years - he knew her better than that.

"I'm fine, Salami, go fry some bacon or something."

Usami shook his head. "C'mon Dev, something's wrong. I haven't seen you this dead since the last time you visited Pine Hills."

"Usami-"

"Don't even _try_ to start, Devon. Or I'll tell Brock Foster your first name. Your _real_ first name."

Devon rolled her eyes. "I met him. Face to face. Arthur. I didn't realise his- I didn't realise _that girl_ was a friend of Sophie's."

Usami sat down beside her, putting a hand on her shoulder. "Judging from your perfect manicure and blood-free clothing, I'll guess that you haven't brutally murdered him yet." Devon let out a weak, watery laugh.

"I don't know what I'll do to him, Hiro. I didn't even know if he'd still be in Paris - I mean, I _know_ that he's got people keeping an eye on me so that he knows where I am. You and I are doing the same thing, but..."

"Don't worry Dev. I've got your back. Always. I promise."

_CRASH! BOOM! BANG! DING! SSSSSssssssssssss..._

Devon arched an eyebrow at her best friend. "Did you leave Brock Foster unchaperoned in a room with Jeremy Grace _again_?"

Usami eyed the door nervously and stood up. "I would never. Pearl's down there too."

Devon groaned. "Sherlock is less than useless, he's probably still glued to his laptop. Come on, we'd better sort this out before they set fire to something."

* * *

><p>Arthur couldn't sleep. The room was too cold, the bedsheets too lumpy, and Ariadne was breathing too loud.<p>

Or perhaps he was preoccupied with the way 'Nichole Devon' had appeared in his life after avoiding her carefully for eight years. She'd grown up, he noticed. They both had, to tell the truth. It was in her eyes - he saw that same stony glint in his own every day in the mirror. That determination, that hardness, that kept him alive - both on the job and off.

The last time he'd seen her...

But the circumstances were different now. After all, he was older, wiser, more experienced - and so was she. They weren't going to do anything reckless, rash, or childish... or so he thought. He could never be quite sure, around Devon. She mixed him up, confused him - scared him, if he was honest with himself.

He was the Point Man, always able to understand, to lay out a person's whole life, whole self on a table and _know_ what it meant and what to do about it. He could do it with Cobb, he could do it with Sato, heck, he could even read Ariadne if he put his mind to it. There was an... _elusiveness_ to Gabrielle's cousin that he could never quite pin down, and it unsettled him.

Thoughts of Devon and Gabrielle were always an insomniac poison, and Arthur knew it was no different tonight either. As quietly as he could, he eased himself out of bed and padded into the kitchen. There were cases to look over and people to contact, in fact, he had a job coming up in just the next few weeks.

"Little early to be working, don't you think?" Arthur jumped at the voice and whirled around, pulling a knife from it's fold in his pyjama pants. The intruder arched an eyebrow and smirked. "You really have changed, haven't you Arthur. You were never this paranoid before."

"Shut up, Lorne." Arthur slid the knife back into its sheath and busied himself making coffee. "I blame you, y'know."

"You blame many people," Lorne shurgged. "Including yourself. It doesn't bother me. Actually I just came here to ask if you wanted to work together on a job - I'm pretty sure you received the same request I did right? So let's work together on the Rokossovsky Case, shall we? For old times sake."

"For money's sake, don't you mean?" Arthur scoffed. Lorne didn't deny it.

"Arthur?" Ariadne's sleepy voice called out and Arthur flushed with embarrassment. She shuffled out of their bedroom, wrapped in the bedsheets, looking rumpled and attractive. Arthur fell even more in love at the sight of her. "Who's he?" Dammit Lorne!

"David Lorne," Lorne held out his hand for the shake. "I'm an old friend of Jason's."

"Jason?" Ariadne looked at Arthur in confusion, but her boyfriend just glared at the stranger.

"I'm Arthur Morgan now," he growled. "Arthur Jason is a little too notorious for my taste."

Lorne raised his eyebrows in surprise, but said nothing, and Ariadne watched the two men with unease. Arthur broke the silence by offering to fetch coffee for the three of them. Ariadne and Lorne sat down at the table, facing each other with wary eyes.

"What do you do?" She asked him.

"I'm an architect."

"What kind?"

"All kinds. Conceptual architecture is my forte," he smirked at her, and Ariadne found herself unsettled. She felt as though that expression was saying to her 'I know everything about you already, but what do _you_ know about you?' "And yourself? You're a student, right? What do you study?"

"I'm also an architect," she shrugged.

"I see."

Arthur returned with the coffee and the atmosphere grew cold and stifling.

"Ariadne," she turned to her boyfriend. "May you please excuse us? I have business to discuss with Lorne."

"I'm an architect Arthur! You don't need him!"

"Ariadne," he put a hand on her shoulder. "It's just one job. Besides, I don't want to interrupt your studies."

He left with Lorne before she could further protest. Ariadne slept alone that night, in a cold, empty bed.

* * *

><p><strong><em>"And sometimes we steal things from ourselves, out of pure spite - because truthfully we hate ourselves, and are forever looking to sabotage our own lives. And everything we fear are truly the things that we desire, but we are unable to take hold of them because of our own foolishness and pride. Honestly speaking, isn't that such an uncomfortable way to live?" <em>**

_She could hear someone screaming. Gabby! Gabby was screaming! What's the matter? Voices. Sobs. Was Gabby crying? Stop crying Gabby! I'll get him for you! _

_Suddenly everything was a blur. A gunshot. A red scarf. Blood. Blood everywhere. Someone was holding her hand, but who? Who was dying? Arthur? Gabby?_

_Gabby, why are you crying?_

_Suddenly Ariadne's face appeared. She was standing beside Arthur, and they looked so happy. They were getting married and Arthur was happy. He didn't care about the rest of them at all. And Gabby's ghost was watching them with tears streaming down her face, and suddenly Devon remembered everything. _

_"How could you Arthur? You BETRAYED ME! I can't live like this. I CAN'T LIVE!"_

"GABBY DON'T!" Devon screamed at the ceiling, and then fell back onto the bed, gasping for breath. Just a dream. What a terrible dream.

A knock on the door caught her attention, and she slid out of bed to answer it. Of course, Usami was there. Her faithful companion. He didn't ask any questions, he just closed the door and took her hand, leading her back to bed. She crawled under the covers and curled into his chest, feeling safe and protected even though he was just a boy.

"Hiroshi?"

"Yes?"

"Let's accept the job. I want to get out of France as soon as possible."

"What about your studies?"

"There are professors and universities all over the world. It doesn't have to be here."

"But there is only one Professor Stephen Miles in the world, and you came here specifically to learn conceptual architecture from him, didn't you?"

"Hiro, you don't have to fuss over me so much. I'll be fine. We'll figure something out. We always do."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Alright, so there are a couple of random characters that might not make sense to you, so I'll generously introduce you, because I'm bored. **

**Brock Foster: some annoying guy who's really good at pushing people's buttons and getting on their nerves.  
>Hiroshi Usami: a Japanese teenager who is Devon's best friend.<br>Sherlock Pearl: another of Devon's mysterious aquaintences - he's always on his laptop.  
>Jeremy Grace: a short-tempered associate of Devon's.<br>David Lorne: an experienced architect (of both the physical and dream type) - he's an old colleague of Arthur's. **

**Ooooh, what's up with Arthur's mysterious past? How will Ariadne take it? And why is he so cautious around Devon? **

**- haha! and the plot thickens...**


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